Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC Makes New Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,489 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,599,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Security National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK stock traded up $7.62 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $275.28. 4,325,877 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 862,749. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $266.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $281.59. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $249.00 and a 1-year high of $348.52. The company has a market cap of $31.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.35. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 34.83% and a net margin of 13.19%. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.01 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 10.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $312.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $305.08.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.78, for a total value of $133,995.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $943,554.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.78, for a total transaction of $133,995.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $943,554.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.27, for a total value of $127,617.09. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,696. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,199 shares of company stock valued at $572,750. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.